“He?” Karen asked with a raised brow. “Are you sure Baby Cato is a he?”
Nick laughed softly. “Listen to that. That’s the heartbeat of a warrior.”
Karen shifted her weight to one foot and folded her arms over her large, motherly bosom. “Zena was a warrior,” she said with a grin. “Could be a warrior princess in there.”
“Could be,” Nick agreed with a shrug.
Truthfully, he didn’t have a preference. All he wanted was a happy, healthy baby.
The corners of Karen’s soft, hazel eyes crinkled as she smiled. “I could tell you, ya know.”
Nick held his hands up and shook his head. “No, ma’am, I don’t want to know.”
Salt-and-pepper curls bounced around her plump face when she laughed. “You sure?” she prodded. “I could just—”
“No, thank you, Karen,” he reiterated with a wave of his hand. “Get on outta here. I’ll give Vera her massage.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, ma’am, I’m sure. Go on back to that nurses’ station and get your gossip on.”
Karen chuckled. She peeled the gloves from her fingers and tossed them into a trashcan. “Well, alrighty then. I’ll see you later.”
When she left, Nick moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the blanket from Vera’s legs. He slid his hand under her small calf and frowned when he felt how cold her skin was. As taught to him by Karen, he rubbed deep circles into her flesh. As he massaged her skin, he spoke with her as if she were awake and attentive. As usual, he told her about what was going on at work, how nursery preparations were going, and how her family was doing. Omitting everything that had anything to do with Rebecca, he told her how he and Vince had gone out for drinks. Basically, he caught her up on everything that had happened since the last time he’d seen her.
Nick sighed and moved to the other leg. Because he couldn’t get Rebecca off of his mind, the guilt intensified with every word he spoke. Even though he knew his wife was gone and wouldn’t be coming back, he felt like the kiss he’d shared with Rebecca and his attraction to her was betrayal. It felt like cheating. Technically, since his wife’s heart was still beating, it was.
“What’s up, Bro?”
Nick looked up just as Vince entered Vera’s room. He placed his briefcase in a chair near the door and walked over to the bed. After kissing his only sister on the forehead, he looked up at Nick.
“You’re here early.”
“I caught a case that brought me here. So, I decided to stop by.”
Nick rubbed Vera’s feet, noticing that her toenails had been painted in soft pink. Two days before, they’d been a beige color. Vince’s wife, Tanya, must’ve been there the night before.
“What kind of case?” Vince questioned. “Dope?”
“Nah. Witness tampering. I’ll tell you later.”
Vince and Nick were as close as brothers. He had no problem telling Vince about what had gone down with Rebecca, but he wasn’t about to tell him while in the room with his wife. And thankfully, Vince didn’t push. He nodded and clutched Vera’s hand.
“Baby growing strong?”
The mention of his baby made Nick smile. “Yeah. His heartbeat is strong. She’s keeping him strong.”
Vince chuckled, and he knew it was because he always referred to their baby as male. “Good… good,” he responded with a nod.
Vince pushed his bushy black hair out of his face, exposing expressive brown eyes. He wasn’t the sensitive and emotional type, but Nick could see his anguish every time he visited his sister. Before the accident, he and Vera had been inseparable. They were only two years apart, and even though she was the youngest, Vera had been like the mother he’d never had. Since their mother had passed away when Vince was four and Vera was two, neither had much of a memory of their mom. So, she’d taken it upon herself to perform duties around the household that a mom would have normally done.
“Sergeant Cato,” Karen called from the doorway.
Nick turned from his grieving brother-in-law. “Yes?”
“Can I speak to you out here?”
Nick raised a curious brow at the nurse. Her expression told him whatever it was she wanted to discuss was serious. He stood, worried that she might be getting ready to give him bad news about his wife or unborn child. He looked to Vince.
